Official Opposition (Canada)

 ( Official Opposition In Canada ) 

The Official Opposition () is the largest party of the parliamentary opposition, which is composed of members of Parliament (MPs) who are not in government. Typically, it is the second-largest party in the House of Commons.

The Official Opposition is viewed as the caucus tasked with keeping the government in check. It is also generally viewed as the alternative government or "government in waiting". The Official Opposition maintains a shadow cabinet, with the leader of the Official Opposition at its head, of members of Parliament (MPs) and senators who often have the same portfolio areas of interest as actual ministers. The spokesperson for each portfolio is known as an opposition critic. In the event the government loses the confidence of the House or the Official Opposition party wins a general election, the party is ready to become the government.

The current Official Opposition is the caucus of the Conservative Party, assuming the role following its loss of power in the 2015 federal election. The Opposition is led by Pierre Poilievre, who became Conservative leader following the 2022 leadership election, until he lost his bid for re-election in Carleton in the 2025 federal election, a riding he, prior to the election, held since 2004. He has since been re-elected in a by-election for the Battle River—Crowfoot riding of Alberta and has retaken his position as Leader of the Official Opposition.

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Nomenclature The formal title of "Official Opposition" is used in the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. Standing Orders of the House of Commons, ss. 35(2), 45(5), 73(1), 83(2), 106(2), 114(2); reproduced in Marc Bosc and André Gagnon (eds.), House of Commons Procedure and Practice (3rd ed., 2017), Appendix 14. The Official Opposition is sometimes also referred to as the Loyal opposition (or sometimes Majesty's Loyal Opposition

(2025). 9782894613771, Chambre des communes ; Chenelière/McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9782894613771

) to express the idea that, although the group may be against the sitting government, it remains loyal to the Crown (the embodiment of the Canadian state) and thus to Canada. House of Commons Practice and Procedure, Chapter 1 —Parliamentary Institutions (text accompanying note 190).

Former leader of the Official Opposition, Michael Ignatieff, explains:

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History After the 1921 election, the Progressive Party, a looseknit largely agrarian "protest" party, won the second largest number of seats to William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberals, but declined to be the Official Opposition because of their lack of national organization. The third-place Conservative Party, led by Arthur Meighen, thus became the Official Opposition.

As a result of the 1925 election, the Official Opposition was actually the largest party in the House of Commons, the Conservatives. The Liberals, led by Mackenzie King, were able to form a minority government despite the fact that they had a dozen fewer seats than the Conservatives because King's Liberals were able to win the support of the Progressives to remain in government. Similarly, in Ontario, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party had the largest caucus but were relegated to official opposition not long after the 1985 election, as their minority government was defeated on a motion of non-confidence. The Ontario Liberal Party, the second largest party, governed from 1985 to 1987 with supply provided by the Ontario New Democratic Party.

In 1993, the Reform Party challenged whether the Quebec sovereigntist Bloc Québécois could hold the position of official opposition. The Speaker ruled in favour of the Bloc, as they held two more seats than Reform. During the Bloc's time as the official opposition, Quebec issues on national unity dominated Question Period, often to the irritation of the other opposition parties (indeed, Reform was the only other caucus that met official party status, with the NDP and PC parties falling short of that threshold). However, Reform was considered to be main opposition to the Liberals on all other issues that were not specific to Quebec. In 1995, when Bloc leader Lucien Bouchard's position as Opposition Leader granted him a meeting with the visiting American president, Bill Clinton, Reform leader Preston Manning was also given a meeting with Clinton in order to diffuse Bouchard's separatist leverage."Clinton visits Cretien", Maclean's March 6, 1995. Originally at The Canada Encyclopedia, later In 1987, the Liberals won every seat in the 51st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly. To ensure the proper functioning of the parliamentary system, Premier Frank McKenna named several members of his own caucus, led by Camille Thériault, to serve as the Official Opposition. The government also allowed the Progressive Conservative Party, which finished second place in the election in the number of votes received, to submit written questions to ministers during Question Period.

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Privileges The Official Opposition party has advantages over other opposition parties in the House. They are assigned to speak first after the government, and receive more time in question period than other opposition parties. It also gets more office space, funding for research, and a larger staff than other parties.

The leader of the Opposition has an official residence in Ottawa known as Stornoway and the salary and similar privileges to those of a cabinet minister. Additionally, the leader and other shadow cabinet members have the privilege of meeting with visiting foreign dignitaries, which is not always granted to members of smaller parties.

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Senate There is also an Official Opposition in the Senate of Canada. This is the largest party in the Senate that is not in government. As the governing party is determined in the House of Commons, the Official Opposition in the Senate may actually be larger than the government party in the Senate. It is customary, however, for the Senate to pass legislation approved in the House of Commons even if the government has a minority in the Senate. Although the Senate nominally has the power to block most legislation (except that, when the consent of a provincial legislature is necessary to change the Constitution, the Senate may be overridden after six months), this power is rarely exercised in practice.

The party that forms Official Opposition in the Senate is not necessarily the same party as in the House of Commons. From 1993 to 2003, the Official Opposition in the Senate was the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, even though the Bloc Québécois was the Official Opposition in the House from 1993 to 1997, followed by the Reform Party, and then the Canadian Alliance from 1997 to 2003. This is because the BQ, and Reform Party had no Senators. However, when Senator Gerry St. Germain crossed the floor from the Progressive Conservatives to the Canadian Alliance in 2000, he argued that he should be recognized as the leader of the Opposition in the Senate as the Canadian Alliance formed the Official Opposition in the House of Commons. The speaker of the Senate of Canada ruled against him, however, as the Progressive Conservatives were the larger opposition party.

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Lists of Official Oppositions in the Parliament of Canada

1867–1874		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1874–1878		Conservative Party		Conservative Party
1878–1896		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1896–1911		Conservative Party		Conservative Party
1911–1921		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1921–1926		Conservative Party		Conservative Party
1926		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1926–1930		Conservative Party		Conservative Party
1930–1935		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1935–1945		Conservative Party		Conservative Party
1945–1957		Progressive Conservative Party		Progressive Conservative Party
1957–1963		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1963–1979		Progressive Conservative Party		Progressive Conservative Party
1979–1980		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1980–1984		Progressive Conservative Party		Progressive Conservative Party
1984–1993		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
1993–1997		Bloc Québécois		Progressive Conservative Party
1997–2000		Reform Party
2000–2004		Canadian Alliance
2004–2006		Conservative Party		Conservative Party
2006–2011		Liberal Party		Liberal Party
2011–2014		New Democratic Party
2014–2015				Senate Liberal Caucus
2015–present		Conservative Party		Conservative Party

Notes

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Current provincial and territorial Official Oppositions Due to consensus government, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories do not have Official Opposition in their respective legislatures.

+ List of current provincial and territorial Official Oppositions ! Leader ! Jurisdiction ! colspan="2"	Party ! ! class="unsortable"	List
Naheed Nenshi	Alberta		New Democratic	31st	List
John Rustad	British Columbia		Conservative	43rd	List
Obby Khan	Manitoba		Progressive Conservative	43rd	List
Glen Savoie	New Brunswick		Progressive Conservative	61st	List
Tony Wakeham	Newfoundland and Labrador		Progressive Conservative	50th	List
Claudia Chender	Nova Scotia		New Democratic	65th	List
Marit Stiles	Ontario		New Democratic	44th	List
Hal Perry	Prince Edward Island		Liberal	67th	List
Marwah Rizqy	Quebec		Liberal	43rd	List
Carla Beck	Saskatchewan		New Democratic	30th	List
Currie Dixon	Yukon		Yukon Party	35th	List

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See also

• List of leaders of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada
• Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)

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External links

• The Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons: Role, Structure, and Powers | Mapleleafweb.com

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